There are many different types of fitness equipment that can be used to develop a person's strength, stamina and physique. One type of fitness equipment is the free weight squat machine that can be used to strengthen one's leg muscles by performing squat exercises. Free-weight squat machines can also be reconfigured to perform other exercises, such as bench press. Known free weight squat machines typically employ a horizontal weight bar on which free weights can be added or removed. The weight bar is typically coupled to a support frame that enables guided movement of the bar during the exercise. A difficulty with such fitness equipment is that the techniques used for locking the weight bar to the support frame before and after the exercise is cumbersome, leading to injuries if not performed properly. Furthermore, by virtue of the locking techniques employed with known free weight squat machines, the variety of squat exercises that can be performed is limited.